The present invention relates in general to a cover for selectively covering and uncovering an article and more particularly to a cover for selectively covering and uncovering a fire hydrant or the like.
As is known, fire hydrants are used for supplying water for fighting a fire. Such hydrants are located generally beside a roadway. Firefighters transport themselves to the location of a fire, connect a pumper truck to water supplied by the fire hydrant and pressurize the water. A hose is connected to the pumper truck and conducts the pressurized water to the fire.
As is known, time is of the essence when fighting a fire. When firefighters reach a fire, it is important to be able to quickly locate the fire hydrant to supply the pumper truck with water. Various conditions may exist that make it difficult to locate the fire hydrant. For example, in the winter a substantial snowfall may make it difficult to locate hydrant. When a fire hydrant is located beside a roadway, plows pass along the roadway moving snow to the roadside and in some cases, further obscuring the fire hydrant from plain view. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide for ready location of a fire hydrant when the firefighters arrived at the scene of a fire.
In addition, such substantial snowfalls make it difficult to access the fire hydrant and allow the firefighter to connect the pumper truck to the fire hydrant. In some cases, snow removal road crews also remove the snow from around the fire hydrants. Accordingly, it is also desirable to avoid such additional cost in requiring the removal of snow from around the fire hydrant.
It is also important that a fire hydrant be operable when the firefighters arrive at the scene of fire. Fire hydrants may be rendered inoperable by frozen water which makes it difficult to connect the hydrant to the pumper truck or alternatively to actuate the valve on the hydrant. This requires the firefighters to overcome the problems created by the frozen water and losing valuable time in fighting the fire. Fire hydrants may also be rendered inoperable by vandals tampering with and damaging the fire hydrant. Accordingly, it is desirable to protect a fire hydrant from the elements and vandalism.
In addition, fire hydrants require periodic maintenance by cleaning and maintaining them to avoid rusting of various components. As is known, unmaintained fire hydrants may be inoperative creating great difficulty for the firefighters. Maintenance service also requires painting the fire hydrant. Such repeated maintenance of the fire hydrant significantly increases the cost of operating fire hydrants. Accordingly, it is desirable to avoid repeated maintenance of cleaning and painting the fire hydrant.
One known approach to locating a fire hydrant is by the attachment of a pole to the hydrant, as shown in Lines U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,249. The pole extends well above the fire hydrant to provide for locating the fire hydrant.
Another known device is disclosed in Miskiewicz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,597, which provides a cover over the fire hydrant and is secured to the fire hydrant with a strap. If access to the fire hydrant is not readily available by removing the strap, the cover is made from rigid material and is capable of easily being shattered by the axe of a firefighter. Designs for initially holding the cover in place before attaching the strap includes sand bags and water weighted rings. Permanently securing the cover to the ground with spikes or nails is also disclosed. A pole is attached to the cover and has a flag attached to the cover and extends above the cover.
When the firefighters reach a fire, it is important to readily gain access to the fire hydrant. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a fire hydrant cover that may be easily and quickly secured to the fire hydrant and readily removed when the fire hydrant is to be used without damaging the fire hydrant cover.
The present invention provides the above described desirable features with an improved cover for a fire hydrant or the like. The cover of the present invention is provided for ready location of a fire hydrant when the firefighters arrive at the scene of a fire.
The cover of the present invention provides a novel design for selectively attaching and detaching the cover to a fire hydrant or the like, and allows for the cover to be easily and quickly secured to the fire hydrant without the use of straps and other such separate attachment devices. When it is necessary to use the fire hydrant to provide water to fight a fire, the cover of the present invention may be readily removed from the hydrant without damaging the cover. Since the cover of the present invention may be readily removed, periodic cleaning, maintenance, and painting of the fire hydrant is allowed without damage to the cover. The cover of the present invention also avoids the cost of requiring removal of snow from around the fire hydrant and when the cover is removed provides space for the operation of the hydrant. It should be understood that the cover of the present invention may be used with other articles extending from the ground to provide the beneficial features of the present invention.
The cover of the present invention has an upper cover portion having a top and side portions. The sides extend from the top to a bottom portion which terminates in a bottom perimeter. The upper cover portion is formed to enclose the fire hydrant when positioned over it with the bottom perimeter adjacent the ground from which the fire hydrant extends.
The cover of the present invention also includes a cover securing portion adapted to be removably attachable to the fire hydrant. The cover securing portion has an outer peripheral portion adjacent to the bottom portion of the upper cover. The cover securing portion as flexible securing tabs extending inwardly from the outer peripheral portion of the cover securing portion to a tab securing surface. The tab securing surfaces of the tabs define an aperture for receiving the fire hydrant therethrough.
The fire hydrant has a base having a predetermined circumferential distance. The base of the fire hydrant extends from the ground to a connector portion on the top of the hydrant. As is known, the connector portion has several connectors for attachment to a fire hose, such as by threading the fire hose connector sleeve to a connector, and the connectors generally extend outwardly of the base. The connector portion also generally includes a valve to selectively provide the flow of water through selected fire hydrant connectors and consequently through the fire hose attached thereto and alternatively prohibit the flow of water to selected fire hydrant connectors.
Preferably, the base of the fire hydrant has a circumferential distance greater than the aperture defined by the tab securing surfaces of the tabs. When this condition exists, the flexible securing tabs are at an acute angle to the ground with their tab securing surfaces in contact with the fire hydrant. By so positioning the securing tabs, the cover of the present invention is removably attached to the fire hydrant while allowing ready removal of the cover therefrom.
To attach the cover of the present invention over the fire hydrant, the cover is positioned above the fire hydrant with the aperture in the bottom cover adjacent the top of the fire hydrant. The upper portion of the cover has handles on opposite sides thereof to facilitate the attachment to or removal of the cover from the fire hydrant. As the cover is lowered over the fire hydrant, the flexible securing tabs flex inwardly so that the connector portion of the fire hydrant can be received in the cover. As the securing tabs move over the connector portion of the fire hydrant, the tab securing surfaces thereof are in contact with the connector portion and continue to flex depended on the configuration of the fire hydrant.
When the bottom cover portion moves past the connector portion of the fire hydrant, the tab securing surfaces slide along the base of the fire hydrant until the bottom perimeter of the cover is adjacent the ground. In this position, the flexible securing tabs are at an acute angle with the ground and with the tab securing surfaces contacting the base of the fire hydrant. When a force is exerted on the cover tending to tilt the cover about the base of the fire hydrant, the tab securing surfaces of the securing tabs are in contact with the base of the fire hydrant and resist removal of the cover from the fire hydrant.
To more readily locate the cover and consequentially the fire hydrant, the cover has indentations in the sides of the cover for receiving and protecting reflective strips. The reflective strips allow for quick location of the cover, particularly in the night or other periods of low light levels.
Other desirable features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings which are illustrative of the present invention.